At the beginning of 2021 the ninth album of the Brighton-based metalcore band Architects was released under the title "For Those That Whish To Exist". A work that was not well received by long-time fans, the sound was too worn for many, too suitable for the stadium. However, that's exactly what propelled Architects to number one in the UK charts.
Less than a year and a half later, the successor to the most controversial work of her career is coming up. With their tenth longplayer "The Classic Symptoms Of A Broken Spirit" the five musicians want to calm the heated spirits on the one hand, but on the other hand they want to occupy top positions in the charts again. In addition to the classic symptom of a broken mind, frontman Sam Carter and bassist Ali Dean told ntv.de in an interview how they deal with mean criticism, what use they have made of the pandemic and how the world could get a little better.
ntv.de: Some of the reactions to your last album were very critical. Do you read comments from fans and do the criticism affect you, or do you let that bounce off you?
Ali Dean: No, none of that affects us. We're seeing these comments, and it's kind of disturbing. But we tend to feel sorry for people who write extremely negative things about us, for example. It's sad that they feel the need to tell us that in front of a bunch of strangers on the internet.
Sam Carter: I think it's symptomatic of where we are as people. Nobody can release music anymore without someone going after them and saying mean things, being angry and aggressive. It's a problem we didn't have when we were kids. If we had the chance to talk to someone who is in a band we would have just told them how much we love their music. For me it's crazy because there are so many bands releasing music I love. And I say if I like it. But if I don't like it, then I just think: "That's not for me". But I wouldn't tell the band without being asked. (laughs)
Is that something you've had to learn over the years? Not letting 1000 good comments ruin you with a single bad one?
CARTER In fact, you have to keep reminding yourself of that. You have to have your friends and band members by your side for this. Because the negative comments feel so all-encompassing. Unfortunately, that's exactly what goes through your head when someone criticizes you: you feel offended. But you have to consider whether to accept criticism from someone you would never ask for advice. I wouldn't call the person who writes on Instagram that the song sucks and says, "Hey man, I'm having trouble connecting this verse to the chorus. Any ideas how to go about it?" When we released "Animals" in 2020, these people said it was a shitty song. So crappy we ruined our legacy and all that. Now it's our most played song. It is the most important in our set. You just have to trust your gut feeling.
What has the pandemic done to you over the past two and a half years?
CARTER It was nice to have more time. We're a bit more experimental now in the way we approach things in the studio. I think especially for Ali and I it was a real luxury that we had the time to add more - the percussion and the electronics. It was really fun taking the songs to the next level. And not rushing it was super important.
Dean: Being in a room together makes a difference to the outcome of an album because we got used to working remotely and independently. But going into the studio, getting immediate feedback from others, and having face-to-face conversations is what made some of the songs come into being in the first place. It was a different work process. But I also think that our musical faces have changed a lot over the years and it's clear to people that we use a lot more electronic instruments today.
How much did the work during this time help you to cope with the situation?
CARTER We tried to keep busy. I think if you sit still for too long it becomes difficult. We definitely took some time to process what happened. But at the end of the day, we love writing music, we're musicians, and we enjoy it. Above all, if you want to get ahead as a band, you have to keep evolving and trying new ideas. These developments can seem violent to fans jumping from one record to the next. But for us it feels like it's progressing gradually.
Now you're a band that - like everyone else - mostly earns their money live these days. In addition to the pandemic, you, as Brits, also had to deal with Brexit... another problem.
Dean: Yes, indeed. Luckily it wasn't too much of a challenge for us at first, but of course there will be financial problems at some point.
CARTER It's just a lot of work sorting out the details of crossing the border. It used to never be a thing, you could just hop in the van and go on a European tour. It was very easy and a lot of fun, but now it's a lot of work, a lot of management for bands. Luckily we can absorb the costs and we have a really great crew and people to work with who can help us with that. For younger bands that don't have the resources, there will be a lot of problems. And it will likely discourage them from going to the mainland. And that's such a shame because Europe is a completely different world and it was an important part of our career, especially Germany. We love coming here.
Were you able to keep your crew or did you lose people to other jobs?
Carter: We actually lost a lot of crew to jobs and to bands that were in other cycles. But we're ready to move on when the time comes. We also lost some really important members, so yeah, it was tough. It was pretty upsetting to be honest. But it is how it is. You can't stop anyone from working. People have to make their living, they have to survive and do what they have to do.
How excited are you for the upcoming tour? Are you worried that Corona could put a spanner in the works for you again?
Dean: We're really looking forward to playing the shows. Sam and I arrived alone in Berlin on Monday evening and we felt a bit weird about it. And we're pretty excited to come back in January with the rest of the band and play some shows. But these things, like many other things in life, aren't something to worry about too much, because when it happens, it happens, and it's out of our hands. So we're just trying to stay positive and get the best out of the band.
After all, you can draw from the full with two new albums ...
Dean: Yes, this is going to be a long, long show. I'll always be very tired when they end, but it will be fun. It was 18 or 19 songs on the last tour. I think we'll try to push that a little bit more.
CARTER We saw Glastonbury on TV and Paul McCartney - how old is he? 80 years? He went out and played for three hours or so.
Dean: He played 38 songs.
Carter: Oh my god! We have to step up. Don't whine, just play longer. We don't quite have the same back catalog as a Beatle, so we won't play 30 songs. But at least for me, his performance made me want to play a little longer and not complain.
Can you elaborate a bit on the title of the album? "The Classic Symptoms Of A Broken Spirit" ...
Dean: That's where we're all at right now. We're totally fucked up by everything. I believe that as a species, as humans, we are in a strange place, in a precarious situation. Sometimes it can feel exhausting to constantly try to change things and make things better, and it's impossible. The people in control are the ones who can make those differences. I think we've gotten to a point where we're pretty down and heartbroken about everything. This is the classic symptom. It's about the feeling that you've had enough.
Speaking of making things better - all band members are vegan. Is there a misconception about Britain's cuisine or is veganism still a difficult subject there?
Dean: We're from Brighton, they have a pretty good vegan menu there.
CARTER The place is really amazing in that regard. We're lucky.
Dean: I think Brighton was even named the "Vegan Capital of the World" this year.
Is veganism a hiring requirement at Architects or has it evolved into that in the community?
Carter: I think in 2012 we started doing our homework on veganism. Initially, it was more about the health benefits. Back then we started to be a bit more conscious, to take better care of ourselves. And once you get down the rabbit hole of veganism, you quickly discover that it's not just about your own health, but also about the climate.
And the animals... There's no turning back once you've seen documentaries about factory farming.
CARTER Exactly. I think we saw the documentary "Forkes Over Knives" and then it was either Dan or Tom who said you can't see that and just ignore it. Although some people do, which is okay too. But all five of us believe it's a good way to live. It is one of the greatest things that you can do as an individual to improve the current climate crisis situation. And it's also a way to sleep better at night. Once you focus on the fact that an animal has to die in order for you to eat a particular meal... when you see the connections, it's very hard to continue eating meat. But some people don't mind, and that's okay.
Do you see it as your responsibility to educate, to use your reach?
Dean: I think we're pretty vocal. I mostly talk about it on social media, animal rights, treating animals and trying to do better. Most people are pretty open to it. The other day someone sent me a message celebrating the 3 year anniversary of a post I made and they were like, "Three years ago you posted this and three years ago I became vegan." It's so cool that you can have this interaction.
CARTER But people don't even have to be vegan. They just leave out the meat for starters. Of course, if we were put in charge of the world for a day, we would make everyone vegan. That would be great, but it's small changes that help. But some people don't want it. It bothers them.
Do you think the world can still be saved?
CARTER That depends on what day it is. Some days I have hope, other days I don't. There have been more bad days than good days lately.
Nicole Ankelmann spoke to Architects
The album "The Classic Symptoms Of A Broken Mind" will be available from October 21st.
